Q: What's the proper way to pronounce "Carnegie"? I am from Pittsburgh, where the guy lived for many years and had a university named for him -- Carnegie Mellon. We pronounce it "kahr-NEG-ee" in these parts of the woods. I hear newscasters and ...

Why do we say something is "out of kilter" or "out of whack"? Has something ever been " in kilter" or " in whack"?

I first heard the term "out of kilter" as a kid while watching my father build a basketball backboard and hoop next...

Can you find 20 errors in the following account of the ongoing battle over English usage?

Commentators on English usage follow one of two general principals. Prescriptivists believe English should adhere to a multitude of discreet rules and ...

Some random dispatches from the word front ...

THEY'RE SO EXCITED!

A U.S. senator's website reports that the senator was "genuinely excited to meet Jon Stewart." A headline says that golfer Michelle Wie is "excited to start a dream job." A ...

Each January, I usually present my readers with a collection of terms that were overused during the previous year. But guess what? Tired expressions that had abounded in 2010 went missing in 2011.

This epic event was a real a-ha moment for me. ...

Q: I have been taught that a dilemma is a choice between distasteful alternatives. A dilemma is not to choose between a hot fudge sundae and chocolate cake -- unless one is a diabetic. Has this "rule" been subsumed by modern usage? -- John ...